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September 18, 2014
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MINUTES OF REGULAR ROMULUS CITY COUNCIL MEETING
September 2, 2014
Romulus City Hall Council Chambers, 11111 Wayne Rd. Romulus, MI 48174
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Mayor Pro Tem, John Barden.
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
Present:
Kathleen Abdo, John Barden, Linda Choate, Harry Crout, Sylvia Makowski, Celeste
Roscoe, William Wadsworth.
Administrative Officials in Attendance:
LeRoy D. Burcroff, Mayor
Stacy Paige, Treasurer
Excused:
Ellen L. Craig-Bragg, Clerk
1.
Moved by Makowski, seconded by Choate to accept the agenda as presented.
Roll Call Vote:
Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
14-362 2A.
Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Crout to approve the minutes of the regular
meeting of the Romulus City Council held on August 25, 2014.
Roll Call Vote: Aye
s - Abdo,
Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried
Unanimously
.
14-363 2B.
Moved by Makowski, seconded by Roscoe to approve the minutes of the special
meetings of the Romulus City Council held on August 25, 2014: 6:15 p.m. closed session, attor-
ney opinion letter; 6:45 p.m. study session, City of Romulus Parks and Recreation.
Roll Call
Vote: Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
3. Petitioner:
None.
Chairperson's Report:
A resident recognized ordinance director, Jadie Settles, for having the
weeds cut in her neighborhood.
4.
Moved by Roscoe, seconded by Makowski to accept the chairperson's report.
Roll Call Vote:
Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion
Carried Unanimously
.
5. Mayor's Report:
Mayor Burcroff presented resolutions to the July, 2014 Employees of the
Month - Ginny Godell and Scott Hadyniak. Police Captain, Joshua Monte, announced that part
of the State Police investigation of the car accident on Beverly Road is complete; however, the
report will not be released until the full investigation is completed and it will be shared with the
family first. Mayor Burcroff announced the light parade route has changed this year; it is start-
ing at the high school. Bob McCraight, Building Director, talked about the opening of
Fernandez Park and the archery range at Elmer Johnson Park. Tim Keyes, Community
Development Director, talked about the Sunoco drill rig at Inkster and Ecorse Roads and the
underground storage of liquefied petroleum.
6A. Clerk's Report
14-364 6A1.
Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Crout to approve second reading, final adop-
tion of Amended Ordinance Chapter 36, Division 4, Controlled Substances, Sections 36-269,
Medical Marihuana, which was introduced at the Council meeting of August 25, 2014.
Roll
Call Vote: Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
14-365 6A2.
Moved by Makowski, seconded by Choate to approve second reading, final adop-
tion of budget amendment 14/15-4, which was introduced at the Council meeting of August 25,
2014.
Roll Call Vote: Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
14-366 6A3.
Moved by Makowski, seconded by Wadsworth to approve second reading, final
adoption of budget amendment 14/15-6, which was introduced at the Council meeting of
August 25, 2014.
Roll Call Vote: Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe,
Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
14-367 6A4.
Moved by Makowski, seconded by Choate to introduce an amendment to the City
of Romulus Pension Ordinance, Appendix B, Article III, Contributions, and Article VI, Plan
Administration.
Roll Call Vote: Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe,
Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
14-368 6A5.
Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Roscoe to schedule a study session on
September 8, 2014 at 7:15 p.m. to discuss the Wayne County Hazardous Mitigation Plan. The
meeting will be held in the Romulus City Hall Council Chambers.
Roll Call Vote: Aye
s - Abdo,
Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski, Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried
Unanimously
.
6B. Treasurer's Report:
Treasurer Stacy Paige announced that city taxes are due by
September 30, 2014.
7. Public Comment:
Romulus resident commented on Cory School and the Burton Center.
8. Unfinished Business
Councilman Wadsworth reminded everyone about bingo at the
Romulus Pumpkin Festival.
9. New Business:
14-369 9A.
Moved by Roscoe, seconded by Wadsworth to adopt a memorial resolution for the
family of Hulen Yates.
Roll Call Vote: Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski,
Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
10. Communication:
Councilwoman Makowski announced that the 1974 Romulus High
School Class Reunion will be held at the Romulus Progressive Hall on Saturday, September 27,
2014.
11.
Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Makowski to adjourn the regular meeting of the
Romulus City Council.
Roll Call Vote: Aye
s - Abdo, Barden, Choate, Crout, Makowski,
Roscoe, Wadsworth.
Nays
- None.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
I, Ellen L. Craig-Bragg, Clerk for the City of Romulus, Michigan do hereby certify the forego-
ing to be a true copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Romulus City Council held
on September 2, 2014.
Publish:
Sept. 18, 2014.
CITY OF ROMULUS
ORDINANCE NO. 2014-003
ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 36 DIVISION 4 ENTITLED CONTROLLED
SUBSTANCES SECTIONS 36-269 of the CODE OF ORDINANCES FOR THE CITYOF
ROMULUS TO ESTABLISH THE AUTHORIZED ZONING DISTRICTS WHERE A
QUALIFYING PATIENT OR PRIMARY CAREGIVER MAY CULTIVATE MARIHUA-
NA RELATED TO MEDICAL MARIHUANA ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE CITY AND
FOR TRANSPORTATION OF MARIHUANA IN A MOTOR VEHICLE.
THE CITY OF ROMULUS ORDAINS:
Section 1.
Chapter 36 Division 4 entitled Controlled Substances Section 36-269 is amended to
read as follows:
Section 36-269.
Possession or use of Marihuana.
A. It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly or intentionally possess Marihuana
except as permitted by the provisions of Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MCL
333.26421 et seq.) as may be amended.
B. Cultivation of Marihuana by a Qualifying Patient as defined in MCL 333.26423 shall
be permitted only in RE, R-1A, R-1B, R-2, R-M or HRM Zoning Districts in single,
family detached dwellings which are owned or rented and occupied by the Qualifying
Patient for their residential use.
C. Cultivation of Marihuana by a Primary Caregiver as defined in MCL 333.26423 shall
be permitted only in RE, R-1A, R-1B, R-2, R-M or HRM Zoning Districts in single,
family detached dwellings which are owned or rented and occupied by the Primary
Caregiver for their residential use or his/her Qualifying Patients, for their residential
use, to whom they are connected through registration with the Michigan Department
of Licensing and regulatory Affairs.
D. All of the above permitted cultivation of Marihuana plants shall be in compliance
with the applicable Building and Fire Codes, and shall not occupy more than 25% of
the dwelling excluding the basement square footage.
E. It shall be unlawful for any person, facility, or business located in the City of
Romulus to operate a provisionary center to sell Marihuana to (1) Qualified Patients,
(2) Caregivers, or to sell any Marihuana to any Person, facility, or business that oper-
ates a provisionary center that sells Marihuana to Qualified Patients or Caregivers
regardless of any State law that may permit such sales.
F. It shall be unlawful for any person to use Marihuana except as authorized by the pro-
visions of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MCL 333.26421 as may be amend-
ed et seq.)
G. A person shall not transport or possess usable Marihuana as defined in MCL
333.26423 in or upon a motor vehicle or any self-propelled vehicle designed for land
travel unless the usable Marihuana is one or more of the following:
(a) Enclosed in a case that is carried in the trunk of the vehicle;
(b) Enclosed in a case that is not readily accessible from the interior of the vehicle, if the
vehicle in which the person is travelling does not have a trunk.
Section 2.
Penalty.
A person who violates Section 1 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment
for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $500.00, or both.
Section 3.
Savings Clause.
Nothing in this Ordinance hereby adopted shall be construed to affect any just or legal right or
remedy of any chapter, nor shall any just or legal right or remedy of any chapter be lost,
impaired or affected by this Ordinance.
Section 4.
Severability.
The various parts, sections and clauses of this Ordinance are declared to be severable. If any
part, sentence, paragraph, section or clause is adjudged unconstitutional or invalid by a court of
competent jurisdiction, the remainder of the Ordinance shall not be affected.
ADOPTED, APPROVED AND PASSED by the City Council of the City of Romulus this 2nd
day of September, 2014.
LEROY BURCROFF, Mayor ELLEN L. CRAIG- BRAGG, CMC, City Clerk
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the Ordinance as passed by the City Council
of the City of Romulus at a regular Council Meeting held in the City Council Room in said City
on the 2nd day of September, 2014.
ELLEN L. CRAIG-BRAGG, CMC, City Clerk
I further certify that the foregoing was published in Romulus Roman, a newspaper of general
circulation in the City of Romulus, on the 2nd day of September, 2014.
ELLEN L. CRAIG-BRAGG, CMC, City Clerk
Within forty-five (45) days after publication of any ordinance duly passed by the Council, a
petition may be presented to the Council protesting against such ordinance continuing in effect.
Said petition shall contain the text of such ordinance and shall be signed by not less than six
percent (6%) of the registered electors registered at the last preceding election at which a Mayor
of the City was elected. Said ordinance shall thereupon and thereby be suspended from opera-
tion and the Council shall immediately reconsider such ordinance.
Publish: 09-18-2014
P
LYMOUTH
Recall language disallowed by county board
Amphitheater project moved to recreation plan
Commission appoints new member
A Wayne County Elections
Commission panel last week
denied the first submission of peti-
tion language seeking to recall four
Plymouth Township officials from
office.
The grassroots effort fostered by
an active citizens group seeks to
remove township Supervisor
Richard Reaume, Clerk Nancy
Conzelman, Treasurer Ron
Edwards and Trustee Kay Arnold.
The petition language cited blatant
disrespect and failure to respond
to residents' repeated requests and
concerns. At issue is what the
recall group describes as the lack
of transparency and poor leader-
ship.
Christopher Hunter, a township
resident and attorney who has
recently challenged board mem-
bers' decisions, is adamant about
proceeding in spite of the first
denial.
“This is a mere speed bump,”
Hunter said after the hearing.
“We're not stopping the recall.”
Hunter said he felt the rejection
may have been because the group
was attempting to be too careful
with the petition language. He said
one major reason not listed in the
submission was the failure of the
treasurer to submit timely finan-
cial audits to the state as required
by law and properly account for
drug forfeiture funds in township
financial records. The township is
currently undergoing a forensic
audit by the U.S. Department of
Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency
regarding the records cited as
“substantially lacking” by township
auditors, PlanteMoran.
According to state law, recall
petition language must be present-
ed to the county clerk before the
recall petition may be circulated
and must be factual and clear and
based on the officer's conduct dur-
ing his or her current term of
office. The reasons for the recall
printed on the recall petitions
must exactly duplicate the lan-
guage approved by the County
ElectionCommission.
The Plymouth Township sub-
missionwent beforeWayne County
Circuit Court Judge Milton Mack,
Chief Deputy Treasurer David
Szymanski and Wayne County
Clerk Cathy Garrett for approval.
Garrett was absent from the hear-
ing. Szymanski was standing in for
Wayne
County
Treasurer
RaymondWojtowicz.
All four of the officials targeted
for recall by the group attended
the
hearing
Wednesday.
Conzelman, who has a law license
but whose duties as clerk do not
include legal advice or counsel to
the township, read a prepared
statement of objection. Earlier this
year Conzelman sent unrelated
and personal expenses through as
township expenses including her
Michigan bar fees; one reason
cited on the recall petition applica-
tion against her.
Had the language been
approved, the recall group would
have to gather signatures of about
3,000 voters in support of the effort
to get the question placed on the
ballot.
The controversial amphitheater
project in Plymouth Township
Park is now a part of the 2015
recreation plan review and will go
no further until that discussion
next year.
Only three weeks after a defini-
tive vote by the board members to
continue the project, Township
Supervisor Richard Reaume pro-
posed a resolution moving the
project to the recreation plan dur-
ing the regular meeting last week.
The resolution was approved by a
6-1 vote. The dissenting vote was
cast by Trustee Bob Doroshewitz
who explained that his concern
was not in moving or delaying the
project but in the fate of the fund-
ing already allocated to the proj-
ect. The township sold $1.9 million
in municipal bonds, purportedly
for the amphitheater and an all-
season pavilion in the park, along
with repairs and renovations to
other recreational facilities in the
community. The entire project was
a $2.55 million improvement plan
with the balance of the funding to
come from grants and funds previ-
ously allocated for recreational
improvements.
Doroshewitz said that he felt
the money already allocated for
the amphitheater should be set
aside until a final decision was
made on the project and not
become a part of the parks and
recreationbudget.
Trustee Chuck Curmi also ques-
tioned the allocation of the funds.
"I thought the original intention
was to start (the amphitheater) this
year. It's a $1.5 million capital
improvement. I don't understand
what the real plan is," Curmi said.
Township Clerk Nancy
Conzelman asked, "Are you
opposed to it (the resolution)?"
"I'm suspicious of it. What will
replace it? We'll keep the funds
unallocated?" he responded.
Curmi did vote for the resolu-
tion after some discussion during
which Reaume said that the
money would be there for three
years.
Doroshewitz, however, was
adamant that the funding remain
allocated.
"We should protect that money.
Earmark it, or we could pay it
back."
"I don't see any reason to put a
hold on it," Reaume responded.
The resolution came as a sur-
prise move to the standing room
only crowd in township hall where
residents had been protesting the
amphitheater for months. Protests
regarding the amphitheater and
other decisions of the board had
prompted a recall against
Reaume, Conzelman, Treasurer
Ron Edwards and Trustee Kay
Arnold.
Three weeks ago the board
voted to 4-3 to continue with the
project despite the overwhelming
protests from residents who
requested the project be delayed
pending public input. Following
that vote, a group of residents
mounted a recall campaign.
Reaume adamantly denied that
the resolution was a response to
the recall effort which was
derailed by the three-judge elec-
tions commission inWayne County
last Wednesday. The panel denied
the proposed petition language on
the recall ballots prompting organ-
izers to vow to re-submit language
and continue the effort to oust the
four boardmembers.
Colleen Pobur will return to the
Plymouth City Commission after an
absence of nearly a decade.
Members of the commission voted
unanimously last week to appoint Pobur to
the vacancy created by the resignation of
Commissioner Meg Dooley who is moving
toNorthville. Pobur served on the commis-
sion for six years and chose not to seek re-
election after completing a four-year and
then two year term in 2003. Since then she
has served as a member and chairwoman
of the Plymouth Brownfield Authority.
Pobur also served on the Michigan Liquor
Control Commission for four years.
Pobur will serve the remainder of
Dooley's term which will expire in
November of 2015.
Don Howard
Staff Writer